BROOKSTON – On Monday afternoon, Kim Vestal finally got the opportunity she was looking for — a chance to shop at B Boutique in Brookston.

The small shop caught her attention as she'd drive by on Indiana 18 on her way to visit her daughter who lives in Delphi. One night, out of curiosity, she pushed her nose against the window of the shop just to get a look at what was in store.

"It was just striking, even just from the window at night," said Vestal, 47, of rural Otterbein. "It makes you want to come in and take a peek."

A token of gratitude

Becky Lehe opened B Boutique in March. It carries a wide array of on-trend colorful clothing, jewelry and accessories.

One would never guess by meeting Lehe today or seeing the vibrant shop that her motive for opening the small women's boutique was riddled with pain and suffering. But she is hopeful that the opening will mark the beginning of a new chapter for her family.

The shop also serves as a token of gratitude. It's a way for Lehe and her family to say "thank you" to the Brookston community.

"I knew I wanted to do something here in this community," she said. "We had a couple different family health tragedies and this community has rallied around us in so many ways."

In the summer of 2006, Lehe and her son, Zachary Lehe, now 21, suffered third degree burns when a gel candle exploded in their backyard. They were sitting out on the patio. She spent a month in the burn unit at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis recovering.

The punt returner lost his ability to walk and now uses a wheelchair. Today, he helps out at the store.

"We go through invoices together," Becky said. "We go through sales. (But) his true love is to sit out here and listen to the radio and visit with the customers. That's his favorite job."

Becky's husband was supportive, she said, as well as the community, which donated funds, held fundraisers and took care of Lehe's other children.

"We had so many kind and encouraging words from friends and family and that's what made this all doable," she said.

Because the shop is a token of gratitude, Becky wants it to be just as iconicas the old Smith's Town Shop, a clothing store once owned by Dottie Smith.

It was located across the street from B Boutique in the present-day Ivy & Violetts florist shop.

"She was such an icon in this area," Becky said. "I'd like to think I'm picking up where she left off. It would make me very proud if I could have the reputation she had."

The shop is nestled among storefronts in the heart of Brookston — at the busy intersection of Indiana 43 and Indiana 18 — and close to other area attractions such as Two Cookin' Sisters specialty food company and shop.

Although most women's boutiques tend to be dress-centric, B Boutique focuses more on tops.

"The best thing about them is they can go from casual to dressy in an instant," Becky said.

But the tops are not typical T-shirts. They are fashion blouses that come in a variety of fabrics and interesting silhouettes including hi-lo and billowing.

Vestal found a few tops, although she was initially shopping for her daughters who are in their 20s.

"I like the shirts," she said. "They're just a great fabric and kind of flowy. They're just different, not something you see other places and they are very reasonable."

The store doesn't have a target demographic and its ample array of blousy tops attests to that.

Unlike boutiques that carry an abundance of body-conscious clothing, these tops are figure flattering and forgiving for most body types and appropriate for most ages. Becky purchases most of the clothing from the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

She's planning a buying trip to Los Angeles in August and possibly Atlanta in September, she said.

'A huge door opening'

The prices are relatively inexpensive for a boutique. Clothing ranges from $6 for a camisole to $64 for denim.

Becky also carries plus-size clothing, which tends to be slightly more expensive.

One of her signature collections include L.A. Idol denim, which says compares to the more expensive mall brand of Miss Me Jeans.

The L.A. Idol denim is embellished with lots of bling on back pockets. Even the denim jackets are bejeweled.

Although her past experiences "really put things in perspective," she said, Becky is optimistic about the future.

"It seems like when one door closes, another door opens," she said. "That's kind of what this is, a huge door opening."